How the Prince of Peace food pantry reinvented its outreach
Yellow leaves against crisp blue skies. Fresh apples and sweet potatoes. Sharing stories around the table with family and friends, old and new.
They’re all the ingredients for a day of gratitude and grace. They all were a part, too, of a day set aside by 30 volunteers from Prince of Peace, Chesapeake, who celebrated Thanksgiving early, gathering on Thursday, Nov. 18, to distribute 160 meals to those in need as part of the parish’s food pantry ministry.
“We like to think of it as a day of evangelization without words, bringing the Gospel of Christ into the broader community,” said Nick Vacca, who has led the ministry’s efforts since its founding in 2010.
“They don’t just give you the food; they give you the Word,” said Dovia, one of the first guests to arrive at the pantry. “When you see the Lord working through people, there’s nothing else like it. When you thank God, you always have to remember to thank those he sent to you.”
Time to celebrate
The Father Romeo D. Jazmin Food Pantry, named in honor of the current pastor of Prince of Peace, is open weekly, serving around 55 families every Wednesday.
Volunteers had planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their ministry in October 2020 with a banquet, Vacca said, but the pandemic put all plans to observe the occasion on hold.
“So we’re having a party of sorts today,” Vacca said. “Whenever we get together, it’s a party. We’ve been blessed with some wonderful volunteers.”
The team gathered for the special event, setting up a series of long tables that stretched across the church parking lot in preparation for the arrival of a second team, which had taken a small fleet of trucks and trailers to pick up food donated by the Rose and Womble Foundation, a nonprofit headquartered in Suffolk.
A few local farmers who regularly contribute to the pantry also stopped by, bringing in cases of sweet potatoes and fresh collards.
“It’s wonderful to see everyone coming together to help feed the community,” said Mary Pepe, who was working alongside her granddaughter, Grayson Crow, a college sophomore just home for break. “It really brings home the meaning of the holiday.”
Sharing stories
Once the trucks arrived, volunteers unloaded the cases and set items out along the tables, creating an assembly line of vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing and rolls, which they then packed into blue fabric bags for easy distribution. Additional stations were set up for frozen turkeys, apples and potatoes.
The volunteers chatted as they worked, exclaiming over announcements of new grandchildren and sharing news of high school juniors who had somehow become college freshmen over the course of the pandemic.
“It’s like a reunion,” volunteer Marty McDermont said. “This is the first time we’ve all been together since last year.”
Before the pandemic, she explained, the food panty was held inside the church and included a hospitality room where volunteers and guests could socialize over coffee.
“Since March of 2020, the pantry has had to reinvent itself,” she said, converting to a drive-through format.
It’s also operated with a smaller staff, since some volunteers found they needed to take a step back due to health concerns or to care for children home from school.
“Holding an event like this, outside on such a beautiful day, brings everyone back together again,” volunteer Ruth Koon said.
Light of Christ
As a brisk wind sent a cascade of leaves fluttering over the parking lot and the line of waiting cars grew, a few parishioners went to greet arriving clients, catching up with still more familiar faces as they chatted through car windows.
Although the pantry’s drive-through method helps to serve guests efficiently while maintaining social distance, volunteers said it’s important to them that the pantry does not feel like a drivethrough.
“The best part is getting to know the people coming in,” volunteer Margie Breslin said. The team does its best, she said, to tailor its efforts to each family’s needs, adding a personal touch whenever possible.
“I always try to save the little cupcakes that we get for families with small children,” she said. “Or if there’s a mom with a lot of teenagers, we try to load them up on snacks.”
“It’s been great,” said Ronald, who has been visiting the pantry for the past year. “You should see how long the lines can be, but they always take their time with each person. They don’t just give you the food and tell you to scat. They treat you with dignity, with respect.”
“We’re so glad that we can do this,” Vacca said. “We’ve had to make some changes over the past months, but the important thing is to bring a little hope, a little of the light of Christ into people’s lives.”
“And we’ll still have another party sometime,” he added, with a laugh. “Maybe for our 12th anniversary.”